


The Man from S.H.I.E.L.D.

by Darling_Diver



Category: Agent Carter (Marvel Short Film), Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 02:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7148579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darling_Diver/pseuds/Darling_Diver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten years after Captain America crashed during the Battle of Valkyrie, he’s recovered by Howard Stark. After waking up, he partners with Peggy Carter in covert missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. While neutralizing an assassination attempt in the late 1950s, they encounter and recover Bucky Barnes, now known as The Winter Solider. After an intense deprogramming process, Bucky joins Steve and Peggy to form S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most elite squad of operatives focused on destroying the underground Hydra network. While highly effective, the new team doesn’t always agree on how to handle missions as their personal histories bring up unexpected challenges.</p><p>Inspired by The Man from U.N.C.L.E.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Man from S.H.I.E.L.D.

On a Tuesday afternoon in September 1955, Peggy Carter sat at her desk in the Los Angeles S.H.I.E.L.D. offices. The West coast had become an unintentional second home for the agent after years of traveling back and forth from New York to California. She preferred the East coast, but inevitably found herself jet-setting from one side of the United States to the other. Tedium took over for the day, forms and files stacked on the desk while the pen in Peggy’s hand stood motionless as her attention was lulled into a relaxed state by the swaying leaves on a camphor tree outside the office window.  _I miss New York. The trees will change color in Central Park soon. I can’t miss it this year._

Ten years had passed since the official end of WWII. While sweethearts kissed soldiers returning from war and started families, Agent Carter found herself immersed in the ever present world of saving civilization from one cataclysmic event after another. Throwing herself into work had been more natural than any other post-war option. There was a spark of hope she could build a civilian life with Daniel Sousa, a fellow S.S.R. agent, but tragedy changed those plans only a few short years after they met. Peggy found herself surrounded by ghosts, a woman who had lost family, friends, and lovers.  _Michael. Steve. Colleen. Daniel._  Pity was a luxury Peggy never afforded herself, even in the darkest moments. Conversely, compassion was something she refused to let be killed off by even the most traumatic losses. Ever present thoughts of the most important who, what, and where markers of Peggy’s life ran through her mind daily like speeding trains in a complex rail system. She learned to let them pass and fade into the distance, knowing each one would cycle back around eventually. The distinction between dwelling and observing had become critical to her psyche.

The general hum of office activity was a constant, comforting presence in the background of Peggy’s consciousness. Her attention wasn’t called back to the present until the phone on her desk angrily buzzed. She sighed, preparing for what she expected would be a routine call from Howard about some new piece of tech he wanted to field test.  _Or some such nonsense._  Per his usual habit, he disappeared months back and had yet to resurface for air. Peggy lived for a good mission, but the 1950s had proven to be more peaceful than the prior decade. The adjustment of not jumping from one mission to the next proved difficult. She picked up the receiver, pressing it to her right ear. “Yes?”

The other end of the line was the perky voice of a secretary, advising the radio room had a transmission for her. Peggy stood, straightening her skirt. She mumbled to herself, “What’s he got himself into now?” Her heels clicked on the linoleum floor as she strode down the hall before making made a sharp right. With each step the radio static grew louder. Peggy asked for confirmation from the male tech who had taken off his earphones and was now fiddling with the receiver knobs, “Howard?”

He looked up at her and nodded, “Yes, ma’am. We can’t quite make out his position though.” 

Peggy waved for him to give her his chair with one hand. She sat in a fluid motion, legs crossed with her elbow propped up holding one earpiece from the tech’s headset to her left ear. Pressing the microphone button she leaned forward. “Howard, it’s Peggy. Where are you?” The radio crackled, a faint voice uttering something unintelligible. Peggy readjusted, pressing the cushioned earpiece harder in an attempt to understand. “Say again?”

Howard’s voice was distant, but his urgent tone was apparent. “Peggy? PEG?!”

“Yes, I’m here.” She smiled to herself, waiting for the outlandish story of his latest predicament. 

“We found…”, his voice cut out. 

“Found what, Howard? I can barely hear you.” 

His response was garbled with only a single word audible, “…him…”. 

“Say again. Who?” Peggy tried to wrap her mind around any scenario that would give framework to this piecemeal information. She considered her options. Jarvis had been out of communication with her for weeks, presumably busy looking to Howard’s affairs.  _Would Anna know where they are?_

“HIM… _HIM_.”  

“Him who?” The elaborate railway system of Peggy’s thoughts accelerated, her chest tightening. 

His response was faint, but clear, “STEVE.” The headset slipped from her hand, landing with a thud on the radio console. Howard continued, “Peggy, did you hear me? Are you there? Peg?”

*****

Peggy’s world slowed down to a crawl awaiting Howard’s return. It was difficult to reconcile the man she had spent much of the past decade trying to let go of was coming back. There were countless questions, each reminding her of how little she knew.  _Is it going to be a body or is HE coming back?_  The anticipation of losing Steve again sparked a deep anxiety in Peggy’s gut. When Michael died, she threw herself into working at the S.O.E. to honor her brother and the truths only he had known about her. Knowing such a major life change was at Michael’s behest drove Peggy to work harder and prove him right. She had done the same with the S.S.R. after Steve went down with the Hydra bomber during the Battle of Valkyrie. When she lost Daniel, it was almost natural for S.H.I.E.L.D. to consume her life. Honoring those who left a mark on her heart by the work she did was one of Peggy’s proudest accomplishments. In the most unexpected way, all her losses had down a linear path. The prospect of Steve’s return created a sharp deviation in how Peggy had conditioned herself to look ahead.  

A week after receiving the news, Peggy made her way to one of Howard’s labs in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s New York offices on W 47th Street. There was a crisp Fall chill in the air she couldn’t warm from once inside, accentuating Peggy’s already acute physical tension. Her ribcage was sore from maintaining an overly rigid posture for days on end and there was the dull throbbing of a constant headache. Her usually steely nerves were on edge. This became one of the few times in Peggy’s life she regretted not being much of a drinker. Jarvis met her full of nervous energy as the elevator doors opened on secure sub-level 2. “How are you Miss Carter?”

Peggy’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Good to see you, Mr. Jarvis. I didn’t know you had clearance for this area.” 

“There’s really no area of Mr. Stark’s life I don’t have clearance for - you’d be surprised how many personal needs he has even when working on top secret projects.” 

“I’m sure I wouldn’t. Now I understand why you and Anna haven’t been able to get together for dinner,” Peggy goaded. Edwin and Anna had become important fixtures in her life and their notable absence had given her pause. “All the while, you managed to keep this major endeavor of Howard’s a secret. I’m rather impressed.” 

“Well, things have been quite busy. Besides, Mr. Stark didn’t want to trouble you with the expedition until he knew it was a success. I can only imagine how difficult the news would have been should the outcome been different.”   

“Of course.” She gave him a tense smile as they stopped in front of a metal door leading to an examination room. “It’s good to see you again.” Her resolve was melting as she fought back an overwhelming mix of excitement and fear of how life would change after this moment. 

His face softened. “Anna and I missed you too. We’ll have dinner soon? Seems there’s much to catch up on.” 

“That would be lovely.” Her shoulders relaxed slightly. 

“Now, it might not be what you’re expecting, but Mr. Stark is still working on the best method of…” Jarvis paused, searching for the exact word, “…defrosting. So, don’t be startled.” 

“Oh!” Peggy prepared herself for any situation, yet she found this revelation unexpected. 

Jarvis’ tone was concerned, “Do you want to wait?”

“No, no, it’s fine. Just more real now that I’m here.” She looked over his shoulder at the door. 

“Alright then.” He shifted weight to his right foot, leaning sideways to grasp the door handle and push it open. 

Peggy stepped through cautiously. The space was flanked with machines and wires running to a metal box in the middle of the room. At the back there was a long, metal table covered in papers, beakers, and various chemicals. Howard was bent forward over a set, scribbling furiously. At the sound of her heels on the concrete, he turned. Rather than the usual sleek playboy styling Howard sported, he was now disheveled with a wrinkled shirt, unshaven and unkempt hair. He crossed the room to her, arms stretched out as if a reflex. “Peg, we did it! Can you believe we found him?” 

His embrace invited her emotions to surface. She pushed back the urge to cry, eyes locked on the box. “Is that…”

Howard pulled back, turning to follow her focus and cocking his head to the side. “Yes. Still sorting out exactly how to wake him up. Not quite like like taking meat out of the freezer, you know.” His nonchalant manner of talking about life-changing circumstances was oddly comforting. 

Peggy proceeded cautiously, “Can I see him?”

“Of course. I just…I need to get some other schematics, so I’ll leave you for a moment.” Raising a finger in the air, as if mentally noting a specific thought, Howard looked back at her before lowering it back to his side. “He’s gonna be ok, Peggy.”

“How do you know?”

“Steve has us and we’ll figure it out together.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, Howard offered a reassuring squeeze before leaving the room. 

The steel door scraped against the frame as it closed. The room fell silent, except for the whirring of various machines. Peggy treaded lightly forward. The silver, metal box was covered with a thin sheen of ice. She dropped her right hand, letting it run along the rivets lined at the metal joints. The acute cold of the surface went through her nervous system like a bolt. A small glass window was positioned in the top middle half, offering a view of the contents inside. Peggy paused momentarily, taking a final deep breath and mumbling to herself, “There’s only now and no longer a never.” 

The site of Steve’s face took the air from Peggy’s lungs. Tears streamed down her face as she lay both hands over the glass. Peggy held onto a final image of Steve as the viral young man jumping onto the Hydra bomber. With eyes closed, she could nearly recall the warmth of his lips on hers again. Now he lay before her, with blue-tinted skin, features unnaturally still, and sandy blonde hair accentuated by ice. The near peacefulness of his appearance heightened Peggy’s emotions. “What have we done to you, darling?”

*****

Resurrecting Steve Rogers was a complex undertaking stretched over months. Howard worked in stages, methodically tracking and quantifying progress. By December, America’s first superhero lay unconscious in a standard hospital bed in the same room where Peggy had seen him for the first time. The space shifted from laboratory to medical suite. A tightly controlled group of private doctors and nurses were brought in to take over Steve’s care. Howard mandated the news of finding Steve Rogers remain secret with still so many unknowns ahead. Peggy visited daily, reading news stories aloud and keeping him briefed on S.H.I.E.L.D. operations. Watching life slowly re-enter his body revived her hope. Skin now a soft pink, chest rising and falling as lungs worked on their own, and the occasional movement of eyes under closed lids all suggested a full recovery was possible. No one could give a certain prediction though, not until he regained consciousness. 

Mid-afternoon Tuesday, December 20, Peggy stood from her desk in the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. offices.  _I need air._  She spent the morning reading Steve daily news, his comatose body unchanged since late November. It was difficult to not be discouraged. Early on there was rapid progress during regeneration. However, now it seemed change had given way to a fixed state. Doctors urged Howard and Peggy to be patient, Steve’s body simply needed time. Peggy pulled on her black coat, the hem falling perfectly mid-calf and waist cinching as the buttons pulled together. Pulling leather gloves from her pockets, she maneuvered her way out of the building by way of the elevator and made an immediate left turn. 

The mid-century bustle of New York during the holidays was refreshing. Peggy spent so much energy on alternatively being with or having to leave Steve each day she had neglected most of the special details about winter in New York. Two boys ran past with pop guns, their mother not far behind offering a warning to slow down. Peggy’s stride remained determined, but she didn’t have a destination in mind. The steady flow of bustling people on 8th Avenue lulled her into a rhythmic pace as she took another left towards Central Park even though it was a full twelve blocks away. She considered window shopping at a department store for a distraction. Then he thought of sitting in a museum quietly for a few hours, methodically letting her mind escape into the world of colorful canvases was also tempting. Indecisiveness did not sit well with Peggy, she was expertly trained to always be prepared with a plan or answer. She stopped short of the crosswalk ahead and stared straight.  _Just go back._ Turning on her heels, Peggy re-traced the steps she’d taken minutes before away from the office. 

Peggy pushed her weight into the revolving door into the building, mindlessly gliding to the elevator bank granting access to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secure floors. A bell dinged and the doors opened to reveal an agent with wide eyes. “Ma’am, glad you’re back.” 

She gave him a cool look. “What is it?”

“You’re needed downstairs immediately.” 

The two rode up the sixth floor in silence. There were no direct routes into the building’s sub-level structure, but the complexity was intentional since it’s where the agency’s most sensitive work was performed. Peggy never considered it an inconvenience until now. After reaching the sixth floor, she exited the public elevator and crossed through the offices to a private elevator on the other side. Using a key to gain access through metal grating, a secure code was then required inside the car to gain access to the necessary floor. Peggy’s foot tapped involuntarily when the car was in motion. Once stopped and doors opened, the atmosphere shifted from standard office activity to a quiet buzz. A nurse hurriedly left Steve’s room, casting a cursory glance at Peggy exiting the car. She went on auto-pilot going into the room where countless hours had been spent waiting.

Pulling open the door, Steve’s voice was unmistakable. “Yes, I can feel that.” He was sitting up, facing away from her with his legs hanging off of the bed. A doctor sat on a stool in front of him performing a physical examination. “Where am I? What happened?”

The doctor was compassionate, but firm in his response, “Someone will be here soon to debrief you. I need to make sure you’re physically well. We’ll be running tests, now I need for you to lay back for a blood draw.” 

Steve’s frustration and distrust was evident in his tone, “I don’t want to lie down. I need answers or I’m leaving one way or another.”

The doctor stood, lifting his gaze to meet Peggy’s. “I don’t think that will be necessary.” 

Peggy’s eyelids fluttered and chest constricted. “Steve.” 

His head snapped towards her, body moving to stand at the same time. The two stared at each other motionless. The doctor excused himself, but Peggy failed to hear anything he said as they were left alone. Steve offered an innocent smile, the corners of his eyes wrinkling into delicate channels.  _Oh, how I’ve missed you._ At once, Peggy experienced emotional and mental stillness for the first time in months. 

His lips parted slowly, the sound of air sucking into his lungs punctuating the silence. “You changed your hair.” 

Peggy laughed, breaking eye contact and glancing down. A tentative wave of relief washed over her. “Hello, darling. You're late.” 

“How late?”

She forced herself to meet his eyes again. “It took Howard ten years to find you. You were frozen in the ice fields. It’s December 1955.”

Saying these facts aloud as a quantifiable measure betrayed the actual experience of living through the time passed. When Peggy lost Steve he had been 27 and she 24; now she was 34, while he appeared unchanged. She was acutely aware of how much her life had shifted during that time, whereas his had literally frozen in time. Reconciling the past and present wouldn’t be a burden either of them would bear alone. Peggy's intuition was certain what lie between them hadn't changed, even if the world had. 

“Ten years?” His eyebrows knitted together. “That long?” Steve’s focus shifted around the room, as if it’s contents would offer clues of what transpired during that time. Before focusing on Peggy’s face again, he glanced at her left hand resting against her abdomen. 

She shifted uncomfortably in response to the attention. “You should lay down and let the doctor finish when he comes back. I can answer any questions you have.” 

“I don’t want to stay here.” 

“You won’t have to, but our first priority is to make sure you’re healthy.” She approached him, motioning towards the bed. 

“You’ll stay?”

“I’m not leaving you.”

 


End file.
